Jaguars Sold at Auction in 2016

Lot # 231 1939 SS Jaguar 100 2.5 Roadster, Body by Van den Plas; S/N 49064; Red, Black/Red leather; Black cloth top; Estimate $1,500,000 – $2,100,000; Older restoration, 2- condition; With Reserve; Hammered Sold at $1,275,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $1,402,500. – Dual SU carbs, spinner wheel covers, rear fender skirts, Brooklands aero screens, engine turned dash, badge bar. – Paint crack at the back of the passenger door. Driver door isn’t flush, and neither is the right rear fender trim or the trunk. Lightly pitted exhaust tips. Lightly worn seats. Restored but used underneath. Restored in the early 1990s and used since. An SS100 chassis bought in 1939 by Van den Plas in Belgium but not bodied until after the war with this unique coachwork. Then displayed by the coachbuilder at the Brussels Motor Show in 1948. – Like Raymond Loewy’s E-Type, this one-off SS100 is certainly distinctive and eye-catching, blending features of the SS100 with envelope bodywork typical of the coming XK 120. It is effective, but also isn’t as graceful as the either original factory-bodied car or the XK, especially the out of proportion Lucas Kind of the Road headlights. It truly is unique, however, and uniqueness carries a premium in the world of classic cars. In this case, it’s several times the going rate for a normal 2.5-liter SS100.

Lot # 238 1993 Jaguar XJ 220 Coupe; S/N SAJJEAEX8AX220619; Silver/Gray leather with suede inserts; Estimate $425,000 – $500,000; Unrestored original, 2 condition; With Reserve; Hammered Sold at $350,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $385,000. – Michelin Pilot Sport tires, Alpine stereo, power windows, air conditioning. – Aside from a handful of scratches on the right front wheel the original paint is fantastic. Nearly spotless engine bay. Like new interior. Almost like new with 6,880 careful miles. One of 281 XJ 220s built. – While it didn’t satisfy many potential buyers’ thirst for a V-12, the XJ 220’s twin-turbo V-6 allowed it to be the world’s fastest production car when it came out. It was then quickly and significantly bested, however, by the 240-mph McLaren F1, so the Jag will always live in that car’s shadow. In a world where a comparable McLaren is an eight-figure car and even Porsche 959s and Ferrari F40s and F50s are exceeding a million dollars, this XJ 220 that sold to a prudent phone bidder seems like a big bargain in the world of small-batch exotics.

Lot # 121 1950 Jaguar XK 120M Roadster; S/N S672788; Engine # W5834-8S; Old English White/Tan leather; Tan cloth top; Estimate $70,000 – $90,000; Visually maintained, largely original, 3 condition; No Reserve; Hammered Sold at $78,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $85,800 – 3442/180hp, centerlock wire wheels, Dunlop Road Speed tires. – Slightly dull but presentable paint. Uneven panel gaps. Big gouge taken out of the paint right behind the passenger’s side door. Paint coming off of the red painted brake drums. Good, lightly worn interior. Long crack at the back of the hood. Represented as matching numbers. Titled as a 1953 with chassis 672788. Extensive mechanical and cosmetic work done in the early 1990s, but never fully apart and enjoyed since. Recently serviced. A 94,831-mile XK120 that’s been well maintained and is in reassuring driver condition. – This XK 120M isn’t going to wow JCNA judges, but it is more than handsome enough to be an exceptional driver particularly at this price which doesn’t really recognize the quality of its care and presentation. The transaction is fair to both the buyer and the seller.

Lot # 128 1958 Jaguar XK 150S 3.4 Roadster; S/N T831629DN; Engine # VS154939; Carmen Red/Black leather; Black cloth top; Estimate $160,000 – $175,000; Older restoration, 2+ condition; With Reserve; Hammered Sold at $130,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $143,000 – Overdrive, chrome wire wheels, old tread pattern Michelin blackwall tires, fender mirrors, black steering wheel. – Represented as numbers-matching its JDHT Certificate. Very good older paint, chrome, interior and top. Very good panel fits and gaps. Underbody and engine are like new. A very well preserved older restoration that has had some recent work. – Last seen at the Dragone brothers auction in Westport in 2013 in somewhat neglected condition. Time has been taken to freshen it to the point where it looks much better. The bidders reacted and conferred a solid price on it that may even be something of a good value for an S.

Lot # 132 1966 Jaguar XKE SI 4.2 Roadster; S/N 1E1187; Engine # 7E529249; Signal Red/Black leather; Black top; Estimate $275,000 – $325,000; Modified restoration, 2- condition; With Reserve; Not sold at Hammer bid of $150,000 – 5-speed, Wilwood brakes, adjustable shocks, braided steel lines, stainless exhaust, alloy radiator, chrome centerlock wire wheels, Vredestein tires, black cloth boot cover, woodrim steering wheel, Kenwood CD stereo. – Replacement engine block and head. Trunk lid isn’t flush and sticks up on the left side. Headlight bezels aren’t flush. Very good interior. A desirable SI 4.2, but with the modern upgrades and CD stereo plus the handful of shortcomings, this is for someone to drive and enjoy. Not a show car, and not for someone who values authenticity above all else. – The fate in the market of this XKE, which should be a superb tour car, illustrates the difficulty of recovering the cost of even subtle modifications for more performance, better handling and more comfort. While they contribute to driving enjoyment the departure from stock configuration not only separates the car from mainstream collecting values but also makes any comparison with comparable values difficult, leaving bidders in a fog of uncertainty unless they really know what they’re doing, and bidders like that are few and far between, particularly for cars modified at great cost like this one. This is going to be a hard sell, except to the rare and possibly unique buyer who wants an XKE that performs like a Corvette.

Lot # 186 1958 Jaguar XK 150 3.8 Drophead Coupe; S/N S837510DN; Engine # NC50548; Silver/Red leather; Black cloth top; Estimate $60,000 – $80,000; Visually maintained, largely original, 3- condition; No Reserve; Hammered Sold at $52,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $57,200 – 3,781/220hp, 4-speed with overdrive, painted centerlock wire wheels, Lucas driving lights, dual wing mirrors, LeCarra woodrim steering wheel. – Originally a 3.4 now upgraded with a non-matching 3.8. Rough, slightly dirty top and top frame. Dirty, rough wheels. Dull, lightly scratched chrome. Uneven door gaps. Hammer marks on the wheel lobes. Big cracks at the top of the driver’s side door. Good, lightly worn interior. Blisters on the left front fender and at the bottom of the driver’s side door. Tidy underbody. It has gotten attention at various points, but has never been fully restored and is not a particularly good car. – An RM veteran, this car was sold by them in 2000 for $49,500, then in Monterey in 2005 for $57,650 and again in Arizona in 2011 for $68,750. This car hasn’t gotten any better, and while the market has moved upward for top quality examples, it’s been relatively soft for mediocre cars like this.

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Comments

These old Jags are beautiful cars, especially when restored and maintained by those who can afford them. My experience with Jag ownership was short and bittersweet. In 1976 I bought a ’67 XKE, yellow, with only 42K miles showing on the gauges. I discovered quickly the cost of driving a beast with way too many moving parts heating up the 9 quarts or so motor oil during the south Florida summer. I became very poor very quickly, but did enjoy some great driving moments in my Jag. The best was letting a Brit flyboy off the Ark Royal have a drive during Fort Lauderdale’s bicentennial celebration and blasting through the Kinney tunnel, top down and well lubricated, before the overheating 4.2 required a lengthy stoppage and visit to Norman of England to add another cooling fan. My Jag had three! Unfortunately, I had to get rid of the Jag because it clearly was not designed for urban use in the Tropics. It was not until 2007 did I find the car the old Jag should have been- a Honda S2000, the best affordable sports car ever built.

About Rick Carey

One of the first people to report on the collector car market, Rick Carey’s market knowledge is unparalleled and he has one of the largest databases of auction transactions. Carey has a strong background in racing, particularly road racing in International GT endurance competition and an interest and focus upon the collector car market including historical trends and economic analysis. For more from Rick, visit RickCarey.com.